


Guilt

by PineTrain



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Not Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-28 23:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14459937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PineTrain/pseuds/PineTrain
Summary: Based on idea I had where Mabel is Soos' cousin and works at the Shack when Dipper visits his Grunkle at age 17 or 18. The summer flows mostly the same besides being older and unrelated, but those facts would have an effect on how they see each other





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on idea I had where Mabel is Soos' cousin and works at the Shack when Dipper visits his Grunkle at age 17 or 18. The summer flows mostly the same besides being older and unrelated, but those facts would have an effect on how they see each other

Mabel knelt, hugging her knees to her chest as she listened to the sounds of the tv playing from her position in the hallway. She was just outside the entrance to the living room, just outside his vision. Just within the comfort zone of not confronting her recent misdeeds.

She'd known Dipper, what, all of half a summer give or take? Was that really so much more than how long she'd known Gabe when she'd decided to set up her sock puppet opera? That had been her thinking at the start of this.

Well, yes, it turned out. She felt guilty about abandoning him when she'd promised to help decrypt the laptop, inadvertently driving him to make a terrible deal with Bill. A deal that made her heart shudder when she found a letter written specifically for her. A letter that truly drove home how much more he was to her than she thought.

No, it wasn't just guilt about all the supernatural stuff. It was also a more human guilt. A greater understanding of how things had changed since Dipper had first arrived in Gravity Falls to visit his Grunkle while Mabel worked at the Shack. A guilt driven by the fact there definitely was something different between them now.

It was part of why she was so reluctant to go in and apologize to him. She'd already done it in the journal, but he hadn't read that yet. Even still, that was only an apology for the stuff related to Bill. She felt like she needed to apologize for the stuff with Gabe too, and what better place than in person?

Or maybe not? Mabel was pretty sure of her feelings, but did she have any evidence of his? Had he even really been bothered by the Gabe situation besides the paranormal stuff? Was there anything more to his irritation at her lack of help? 

That was what was so impossibly frustrating at the moment. She had only just realized she had fallen crazy hard for this boy and it was right after she major-majorly screwed up in a way that made it hard to tell all the ways he might be mad at her. Even more frustrating was she actually hoped he was mad at her about the other boy because that would mean he was into her. Did that thought make he a bad person?

“Agh!” Mabel hissed, her hands over her mouth in case it became a scream. She stood, wincing her eyes closed painfully as the stress finally overcame her. She didn't care anymore, she just wanted to be next to him.

“Whoa- huh? Mabel? Why’re you here?” Dipper asked as he noticed her enter. He'd been in a very slothful position, but quickly sat up in the yellow chair.

“Abuela said I could stay the night and Stan didn't care,” she said, her tone more dry than she meant. She had seen the bandages on him. Nothing new to her, but a sobering reminder.

Dipper cocked his head, a soft smile on his face as he gestured for her to come to him. Mabel’s heart either dropped or floated, she wasn't quite sure as she walked to the injured boy. He adjusted himself, making room for her, though it was tight when she sat by him.

It didn't bother her since Mabel appreciated the contact, cautiously wrapping her arms around him and doing the best she could to avoid touching his wounds. She lay her head inside his shoulder and his arm fell over her own after a wince or two. His pain made her want to squeeze him harder as if that could make it magically go away instead of make things worse. She wondered if her presence might make things worse in some way she didn't expect.

“I'm sorry,” she said abruptly, quietly, before she even meant to.

“It's oka-”

“No! It's not! I'm really sorry!” Mabel interrupted.

Dipper froze, then remained silent. Mabel realized she'd probably confused him. He was concerned about her, which was sweet, but this was about him.

“It's… the stuff with Bill… I wrote some stuff I want you to read about that in the journal. But, um, I'm sorry about Gabe too…”

“Gabe?” Dipper asked.

“Yeah. It's totes dumb compared to the other stuff, but it's pretty important too. And it's kind of selfish, I guess, but I just really wanted you to know I was sorry about that. Cuz, like, I dunno, I don't want you to think there's another guy between us, but I only realized that after I was super dumb with my crap. And, like, I’m not saying that to affect how you think about the more important stuff. I just… I really wanted to say it after I thought about how I felt about you.”

Mabel had no idea if that was as ambiguous as she meant it to be or as obvious as she wanted it to be, but she'd tried her best. She leaned up and kissed his jaw, unable to resist the urge. She then peeled away and headed out of the room.

She hesitated in the hallway, hoping Dipper would tackle her to the ground, confessing his love for her. When he didn’t, Mabel shuffled in newfound uncertainty. Yeah, Abuela had given her permission to stay the night and Stan had agreed, but that meant staying in the same room as Dipper. After what she'd just done, she wasn't sure if she could stay anymore, not before he'd read what she'd written. But her only other option was to head home in the dark.

Mabel wasn't sure what to do


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This happens sometime before the first chapter

“And I-” *tchff*

“You are not the-” *tchff*

“Heh, just as pla-” * tchff*

“Dipper will you just pick something already!” Mabel huffed, glaring to her side at the boy a foot or so away on the carpet as he flicked each channel off.

“Meh,” he responded. “Maybe if there was anything good on…”

“Well, I told you about the movie marathon.”

“Anything good, Mabel,” Dipper repeated dully.

“Wha-” Mabel gasped. “Marigolds in the Sunroom is a great movie!”

“Too dramatic and slow,” Dipper muttered.

“You haven't even seen it!”

“But I've read about it.”

“Yeah! Just now! After I brought it up and you hadn't heard about it! You could at least give it a chance.”

“Meh…”

Mabel narrowed her eyes at him. “Dipper… are you doing this on purpose.”

“Yeah. I don't want to watch that movie,” he answered with a shrug. 

The subtle glance he shot after made her eyes narrow even further. “You're being mean,” she said, crossing her arms.

“It's my turn with the remote tonight. I get to decide.”

Mabel sensed something in his words. Some sort of humor at the situation. She bristled in annoyance.

“You aren't allowed to be mean with the remote, Dipper,” she said, jabbing his side with her thumb. “If you can't pick something yourself, you should let me pick even if it's your turn.”

“Nah.”

Mabel flinched, her eyes wide. ‘Nah’? ‘Nah’!? Weh-heh-ell, if that's how it’s gonna be…

She immediately sprung, tackling him and sending the remote flying from his grip as his arm struck the carpet. Mabel lifted herself and grabbed his shoulder, turning him flat on his back. “Jerk,” she spat at him.

Dipper merely smiled for a second. Then his hands shot to her wrists, twisting them and breaking her support. Mabel’s torso fell downward for a brief moment, but she tightened her core and caught herself. Hovering in hesitation just long enough to let him switch from instinct to strategy, Mabel dropped herself on top of him.

The surprise and force shocked Dipper, and he released his grip with a cough. Mabel’s joints hurt a bit from how the fall had tweaked them before he let go, but it wasn't so painful that she couldn't slip her hands under his back and roll them over a few times along the carpet. She stopped close to the TV, after he'd been disoriented and she was on top.

Sitting up quickly, she thrust her hands down with fingers wiggling towards his sides. Dipper swatted wildly at them and they began a frantic struggle as she fought to tickle him. A wicked grin grew over her face, the movie series now forgotten in light of this much more interesting competition.

Dipper was smiling too, but it was harder to see since it lay behind the tension of his defense. Such a subtle smile, one that made Mabel suspect he had baited her into this fight. But why bait her if he was enjoying it? She felt a twitch in her heart and let him grab her wrists again.

This time when she fell it was intentional. Dipper kept hold of her wrists, but guided them above his head so there was no pain as her body lay upon him. He coughed, just like before, but it was quieter from the gentler force. Mabel’s strength was now in her neck so they didn't bonk heads.

She only held for a second before she wiggled her arms out of his grip, pressing her elbows beside his head for support as she grinned down at him, relishing their contact.

“You're a jerk,” she said, still smiling.

“Like you aren't,” Dipper scoffed with his own smile. 

Mabel felt his hands on her sides, drifting with small movements that made her tingle and move her face even closer to his. “Pttthbbb,” she raspberried.

Dipper bonked his forehead to hers and they both giggled, then paused. It was a quiet moment, so close together, eyes locked on one another's. It passed with a laugh, breath streaking each other’s skin as they pulled away. He lay his head down, uttering a raspberry of his own as he reached up and pinched Mabel’s reddened cheek.

“You're mean,” she giggled at the minor pain she felt.

“And you're cute,” he laughed, tilting his head on the ground.

“Pfff, of course I am! I don’t need you to tell me!”

“But I like to.”

“Heehee,” Mabel chuckled as she bit her lip. She leaned down and nuzzled her nose against his. “And that's what makes YOU cute.”

“What? Just that?” he asked in faux-indignance.

“Yup! Just that!” she answered sitting up and crossing her arms in certainty.

There was a moment’s pause, then they laughed again. Mabel rolled off of him and he sat up. They shared a slow, happy glance and Dipper reached out to touch her cheek again. This time it was soft, his thumb passing back and forth affectionately as Mabel purred quietly.

“Okay, we'll switch to the marathon,” he said.

Mabel gave a wink and a fist pump in victory, then swiftly joined him as he moved to lean against the yellow chair. Cuddling up to him, Dipper draped his arm over her while he flicked through the channels as promised. Finding the movie starting again, they settled in to watch, holding each other close.

\---------

“Well, Mr. Pines, I guess that means I win,” Soos said quietly as they watched from the hallway.

“Wh- I-” Stan stuttered, backing away from the living room entrance as his frustration mounted. “You gotta be kidding me!” he whisper yelled, gesturing his frustration with his arms. “That was the moment! That was a bunch of moments! They were so close! Why didn't they do it?! Dipper’s thick as a brick, sure, but Mabel didn't do it, either?!”

Soos nodded sagely. “Mabel has always been a discerning woman. She picks her man wisely and chases him like a devious mouse after its cheese.” He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, nodding again.

“Can it! She's as oblivious as him, I say! I can't even believe it, but I keep seeing it!” Stan exclaimed, slapping his forehead. “Your cousin, all these years I've known her, all the boys she's chased, all the times she's talked about wanting to make out with them, and she doesn't do it now! When it's the most obvious moment ever!”

“I think it could be a good thing,” Soos said thoughtfully. “You know, Mabel always rushes stuff, so maybe building up slowly would be better?”

Stan eyed him skeptically and set a hand on his hip. “Whatever. It's not better for my gambling record. Anyway, I bet they'd finally do it and they didn't. So whattya want?”

Soos rubbed the back of his neck bashfully and looked aside. “I thought we could do a day of fishing together.”

“Fishing?” Stan asked. “That's it?”

“Well, just the two of us. Hanging out and all. Since we're gonna be family someday. I dunno what we’ll be technically, but I was thinkin’ a kinda father-son sort of thing.”

“Family?” Stan grunted, then laughed. He wrapped an arm over Soos’ shoulder and lead him away. “Sure, sure, whatever you want.” He shook his head and laughed again. “Ha! Family? That's not something I’m gonna bet against looking at those two.”

**Author's Note:**

> FYI, my idea was originally Mabel listening to You're Not Here by Akira Yamaoka after Dipper rejected her at the end of summer. Shes sad and angry because it was obvious he wanted to be with her too, but he was worried about his possession and Bill coming back. 
> 
> So, like, just a temporary BAD END, knowing Mabel.


End file.
